When Natural isn't Good Enough

When Natural isn't Good Enough

In the late 1800s, Madame C.J. Walker invented hair straightening products for African American women. Her products allowed women of color to fit the standardized notion of beauty (i.e., have long straight hair). In the early 21st century we continue to see women of color straighten their hair and engage in other beauty rituals in order to mirror their white-skinned counterparts. The U.S. film industry has always focused on beauty. Image has been the key role in casting female characters. Is she tall enough? Is she thin enough? Is her hair long and straight enough? Is she light enough? These are the questions that impact women of color today in mainstream media, most often in a negative way. This work traces the images of African American women in film from the 1940s onward and connects the impact of those images to everyday women of color, revealing the internalized racism that compels them to conform.